Elementary Object Lesson: The Fruit of the Spirit

This creative object lesson helps kids understand the importance of recognizing and using the gifts that are the Fruit of the Spirit.

You’ll need:

• Bibles
• bulletin-board paper
• painter’s tape
• markers
• index cards
• pencils
• several concordances or access to a Bible website, like Biblegateway.com

Before the children arrive, tape the bulletin-board paper to the wall to create a large mural. On the mural draw a tree with roots. Also, draw nine pieces of fruit in the tree, and write one of the fruits of the spirit on each piece of fruit. At the top of the mural, write the verse.

Elementary Object Lesson: The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

Gather the children and say: Today we’re going to learn a verse about fruit. To do that we’ll think like orchard farmers. Sometimes orchards produce good crops, and sometimes orchards produce bad crops. Have the children refer to what you’ve drawn below ground and above ground to answer the following questions.

Ask:

• What things affect the crop above ground and below ground? Offer a couple ideas if needed, such as having enough water in the soil and sunshine above.

Say: Let’s use our imaginations and think of ourselves as trees…who can grow the crops I’ve written on the pieces of fruit.

Ask:

• What could help us grow those good things so they’re a part of us?

Say: A crop is the result of the farmer’s work plus the growing conditions of the orchards or fields. Let’s do some investigating about what the Bible says about these fruits and how to grow a good crop of them.

Bible Exploration

Hand out the index cards and pencils. Form as many groups as you have concordances. Then divide up the fruits of the Spirit among the groups. Have each group look up their “fruits” in the concordance (or use the search bar of the Bible website) and then look up the verses in the Bible to see what they can find out about developing the fruits of the Spirit. Then have the children write on the cards what they learn about growing a good crop of spiritual fruit.

Give the children several minutes to work. Periodically you can call out, “And the fruit of the Spirit is…” and have the groups call out in the order of Galatians 5:22-23 the fruits they’ve been assigned. For example, if Group 1 has been assigned “love” and “joy” and Group 2 has been assigned “patience” and “kindness,” Group 1 will call out its words, and then Group 2 will call out its words.

After several minutes of work, have each group share their discoveries with the entire class. Then let groups post their cards on the mural next to their group’s fruits.

Want more ideas on the fruit of the Spirit? Check out these posts!